Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Trade Rudy Gobert To Timberwolves

July 6th, 2022 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Gobert has officially been traded from Utah to Minnesota, the Timberwolves confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 1: The Jazz are trading three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (all Twitter links), the Jazz will receive Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, and four future first-rounders in the deal.

Minnesota will send Utah unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025, and 2027, along with a top-five protected 2029 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2026, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A major shake-up had been expected in Utah this spring and Gobert has been mentioned in trade rumors since the Jazz were eliminated from the postseason. On top of that, the Wolves were rumored to be in the market for a rim-protecting center to play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and had been linked to Gobert.

Still, the fact that the two division rivals were able to agree to terms on this blockbuster deal comes as a major surprise. It represents a huge home-run swing by new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, and is the first significant roster move made by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge.

The move will cost the Timberwolves a good amount of their depth, but will create a loaded starting five. Towns and Gobert figure to be joined by point guard D’Angelo Russell, rising star Anthony Edwards, and one of Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, or Jaden McDaniels.

The Wolves will have Gobert under contract for several years — he’s owed a guaranteed $123MM over the next three seasons and has a $46.7MM player option for 2025/26.

Minnesota currently projects to be about $9.5MM below this season’s luxury tax line, with 11 players on their books, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Meanwhile, of the players headed to Utah in this trade, only Kessler will have guaranteed money on his contract beyond 2022/23. Beverley is on an expiring contract, while Beasley, Vanderbilt, and Bolmaro all have team options for ’23/24.

The Jazz are currently $11MM below this year’s tax line for 13 players and should have significant cap flexibility in future seasons, says Marks.

Having also acquired a first-round pick from Brooklyn this week in exchange for Royce O’Neale, the Jazz are now loaded with draft assets and plan to retool their roster around Donovan Mitchell going forward, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Tony Jones of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that the team has no plans to trade Mitchell.

There could be an opportunity for the Jazz to turn around and immediately flip some of the picks they’ve accumulated for an impact player who will complement Mitchell.

For instance, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports (via Twitter) that Utah has some interest in exploring a sign-and-trade deal for Suns restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton, and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer confirms (via Twitter) that the Wolves, Jazz, and Suns had discussed some three-team scenarios.

After seeing multiple unprotected first-round picks change hands this week in deals involving Gobert and Dejounte Murray, it’s safe to say the Nets’ asking price for Kevin Durant will be astronomical. Brooklyn is said to be seeking a “historical haul” for the former MVP.

Trail Blazers Acquire Jerami Grant From Pistons

July 6th, 2022 at 12:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 6: With the July moratorium over, the Trail Blazers and Pistons have officially completed the Grant trade, according to press releases from both teams.

“Jerami Grant is a dynamic two-way forward that can impact winning at a high level,” Blazers GM Joe Cronin said in a statement. “He fits seamlessly into Coach (Chauncey) Billups’ system on both sides of the ball. We could not be happier to have him in Portland.”

JUNE 22: The Pistons have agreed to trade forward Jerami Grant to the Trail Blazers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

In return, Detroit will receive the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick, which is top-four protected, according to Wojnarowski.

The teams will also swap second-round picks in this year’s draft, with Detroit sending No. 46 to Portland in exchange for No. 36, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Additionally, the Pistons will get their own 2025 second-round selection back from the Blazers, and Portland will send out either its own 2026 second-rounder or the Pelicans’ ’26 second-rounder (whichever is more favorable).

Portland will acquire Grant with the $21MM trade exception created in the CJ McCollum deal, and the Pistons will have about $43MM in cap space heading into free agency (Twitter link).

The Trail Blazers’ pursuit of Grant dates back to at least the trade deadline, and they were able to add him while holding on to the No. 7 overall pick in Thursday’s draft.

Grant averaged 19.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 47 games this season and should help with Portland’s desire to rebuild quickly after a down season. He became a focal point of the offense during the last two seasons in Detroit after playing more of a secondary three-and-D role during previous stops in Oklahoma City and Denver. While the 28-year-old won’t be the go-to option in Portland, he should have an opportunity to be an important piece of the Blazers’ lineup alongside Damian Lillard and RFA-to-be Anfernee Simons.

Grant has one year left on his current contract at $20.955MM. He’s eligible for a veteran extension and the Blazers will likely pursue that possibility at some point before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2023. Once the deal becomes official, Portland could only offer Grant up to $45.1MM for two years, but he’d become eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $112.7MM six months after the trade.

Nuggets Trade Morris, Barton To Wizards For KCP, Smith

July 6th, 2022 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Wizards.

“We’re very excited to add Monte and Will as proven players at the point guard and shooting guard positions, two areas that were top priorities for us to address during this offseason,” president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “Monte has steadily improved his all-around game and is coming off a career year while Will has been a consistent scorer and three-point threat during his time in Denver, and both are obviously familiar with Coach Unseld’s system and style.”

JUNE 29: The Wizards and Nuggets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send point guard Monte Morris and wing Will Barton to Washington in exchange for swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and point guard Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported that the two teams were nearing an agreement.

The Wizards, who had previously been linked to Morris, will get a much-needed point guard upgrade in the trade, adding a player who was considered one of the NBA’s best backups before being thrust into a starting role last season as Jamal Murray recovered from ACL surgery.

In his first year as a full-time starter, Morris averaged 12.6 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.0 RPG on .484/.395/.869 shooting in 75 games (29.9 MPG). The Nuggets received calls from more than 20 teams about the 27-year-old, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

Washington will also acquire Barton, a solid shooter and scorer who has averaged 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.3 APG with a .362 3PT% in 479 regular season games for the Nuggets since arriving in Denver in 2015.

Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. is very familiar with both players, having previously served as a Nuggets assistant.

The move reduces the likelihood of the Wizards seriously pursuing a point guard like Tyus Jones in free agency or Malcolm Brogdon via trade.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets will add a player they had been targeting since the trade deadline in Caldwell-Pope, according to Singer. Denver views Caldwell-Pope as a two-way upgrade on the wing, values his championship experience with the Lakers, and would be interested in retaining him beyond next season, Singer adds.

Caldwell-Pope, 29, averaged 13.2 PPG and made 39.0% of his three-pointers for the Wizards in 2021/22, while playing his usual strong defense.

As for Smith, he’ll provide depth at point guard for a Nuggets team that should have Murray back this fall and saw Bones Hyland enjoy a breakout season as a rookie. Assuming Smith plays in at least one game for Denver, it’ll be his 13th NBA team, breaking a league record, tweets Matt Williams of ESPN.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), if no more players are added to the four-player deal, the two teams will have to wait until after the July moratorium to make it official, since the Wizards are taking on several million more dollars than they’re sending out, while the Nuggets save a little money on next season’s payroll.

Caldwell-Pope ($14MM) and Smith ($4.73MM) entered the offseason without fully guaranteed salaries for 2022/23, but Caldwell-Pope locked in his guarantee on Tuesday and Smith is on track to receive as well in order to adhere to salary-matching rules and make the deal legal. Non-guaranteed salary doesn’t count in trades for outgoing purposes.

Caldwell-Pope, Smith, and Barton ($14.38MM) will all be on expiring contracts next season and are eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023. Morris will earn $9.13MM in ’22/23 and $9.8MM in ’23/24 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The Nuggets will likely absorb Smith’s incoming contract using part of the $8.2MM trade exception they created in last week’s JaMychal Green trade. That would allow them to create a new larger trade exception, worth at least Morris’ outgoing salary ($9.13MM), per Marks.

Nets Re-Sign Kessler Edwards

July 6th, 2022 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have officially signed free agent wing Kessler Edwards to a new multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release. Exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) reports that it’s a two-year agreement with a second-year team option.

The 44th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Edwards spent most of his rookie year on a two-way contract, then was signed to a standard deal right before the end of the regular season in order to make him playoff-eligible.

Edwards showed promise in his first NBA season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 48 appearances (20.6 MPG). The former Pepperdine standout posted a .412/.353/.842 shooting line and even made 23 starts when the team’s depth was impacted by injuries and COVID-19.

The Nets declined Edwards’ minimum-salary player option last week in order to give him a qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent. That QO was later rescinded, making him unrestricted, but it appears Brooklyn’s interest in bringing back the former second-round pick never wavered.

The Nets have now signed or agreed to terms with three free agents in the last two days, having also struck deals on Tuesday with forward T.J. Warren and guard Edmond Sumner. The club now projects to have 13 of its 15 standard roster spots filled, though obviously trades involving Kevin Durant and/or Kyrie Irving could change that.

John Wall Signs Two-Year Deal With Clippers

July 5th, 2022 at 8:33pm CST by Luke Adams

July 8: Wall’s deal with the Clippers is now official, the team announced (via Twitter). “John is one of the great downhill drivers and shot creators of his era,” said president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. “He will add depth to our backcourt with his initiating, passing and point-of-attack defense.”

July 1: The Clippers and point guard John Wall have formally agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $13.2MM, according to a tweet from Klutch Sports Group.

Wall reached a buyout agreement earlier in the week with the Rockets and was officially cut on Tuesday, clearing waivers on Thursday. Reporting at the time of his agreement with Houston indicated that he intended to join the Clippers, likely on a deal worth the taxpayer mid-level exception. His agency has now confirmed that’s the case.

Wall gave back a reported $6.5MM of his $47MM+ salary for 2022/23 in his buyout with the Rockets. That’s almost the exact amount the taxpayer MLE is worth for 2022/23.

Wall has played in just 72 regular season contests since the 2017/2018 season. Much of that missed time was due to injuries, including heel surgery and a ruptured Achilles tendon. However, he was believed to be healthy last season when he and the Rockets reached an agreement to keep him away from the team as Houston focused on developing its young backcourt.

Wall put up solid numbers during 40 games with the Rockets in 2020/21, averaging 20.6 PPG and 6.9 APG, though he shot a career-worst 40.4% from the field. His production peaked in ’16/17, when he averaged 23.1 and 10.7 APG for Washington.

The 31-year-old, who has five All-Star appearances on his résumé, will join a veteran-heavy Clippers team that aims to compete for a title in 2022/23 with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the lineup. Wall will likely share ball-handling duties with guards like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, and Norman Powell in addition to those star forwards.

The Clippers have 11 players on guaranteed contracts, with Wall, Nicolas Batum, and Amir Coffey set to sign new deals. That leaves just one open spot on the club’s projected 15-man regular season roster.

Grizzlies Sign Kennedy Chandler To Four-Year Deal

July 5th, 2022 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Grizzlies have officially signed Chandler, according to the transactions log at NBA.com.

JULY 5: The Grizzlies are signing second-round pick Kennedy Chandler to a four-year, $7.1MM contract, his agent Ryan Davis tells Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Chandler’s rookie contract contains $4.94MM in guaranteed money, which is the most an American second-rounder has ever received.

A four-year, minimum-salary contract would have been worth $6.94MM, so Chandler will likely receive a little more than the minimum in his rookie season.

The Grizzlies acquired Chandler in a draft-day trade from the Spurs in exchange for the Lakers’ 2024 second-round pick and cash. He was the 38th selection of the 2022 NBA draft.

Chandler was ranked 20th on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft, so he slid a bit to fall into the second round. The Memphis native averaged 13.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.7 APG and 2.2 SPG on .464/.383/.606 shooting in 34 games (30.8 MPG) as a freshman for Tennessee this past season.

Although he stands just 6’0″, Chandler is an excellent athlete and has a reputation as a strong defender. The 19-year-old recorded the highest max vertical leap (41.5″) and the second-fastest shuttle run (2.89) among all participants who were tested at the NBA draft combine in May.

Chandler is a true point guard, capable of distributing and getting to his spots at a high level. He’s currently starting for Memphis’ Summer League squad against Philadelphia in Salt Lake City, recording six points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks through nearly three quarters of action, per ESPN.

As Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian observes (Twitter links), Chandler’s deal is pretty similar to the contract Xavier Tillman received from the Grizzlies as the 35th pick in 2020 ($6.5MM over four years, with $4.6MM guaranteed). The Grizzlies had to use part of their mid-level exception to give Chandler a four-year deal, Herrington notes.

Mavericks Sign Jaden Hardy To Three-Year Deal

July 5th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 7: The Mavericks have officially signed Hardy, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 5: The Mavericks are signing second-round pick Jaden Hardy to a three-year contract, league sources tell longtime reporter Marc Stein (Twitter links).

As Stein explains, the Mavs had hoped to sign Hardy to a four-year deal, but because they project to be a taxpaying team next season, they will be limited to three years instead of four. According to Stein, Dallas is using slightly more than $1MM of its taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Hardy, the portion the team withheld in its deal with veteran JaVale McGee.

Hardy, who turns 20 today, was the 37th overall pick of the June 23 draft. The Mavericks traded their 2024 and 2028 second-rounders to move into the draft and acquire Hardy, whom the Mavs reportedly had 19th on their board, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

A five-star recruit exiting high school and at one point a projected top-five pick, Hardy spent last season with the G League Ignite, posting solid averages of 17.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.2 APG in 12 games (32.2 MPG). However, his offensive efficiency (3.5 turnovers per game and .351/.269/.882 shooting splits) and lackluster defense caused his draft stock to slide, as he was rated as a late first-rounder by ESPN before being selected 37th overall.

Once the signings of Hardy, McGee and Theo Pinson become official, the Mavs will have 14 of their 15 standard roster spots filled.

Lester Quinones Signs Two-Way Deal With Warriors

July 5th, 2022 at 6:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 5: Quinones’ two-way deal with the Warriors is now official, the team announced (via Twitter).

JUNE 23: The Warriors are adding Memphis guard Lester Quinones on a two-way contract, Shams Charania of Stadium tweets.

Quinones averaged 10 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 APG and 1.2 SPG during his junior season. He shot 44.9% from the field and 38.9% on 3-point attempts.

Golden State had guards Chris Chiozza and Quinndary Weatherspoon on two-way deals at the end of the season, but Chiozza is no longer eligible for a two-way contract and there’s no guarantee Weatherspoon will be back.

Bucks Waive Rayjon Tucker, Luca Vildoza

July 5th, 2022 at 5:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have waived Rayjon Tucker and Luca Vildoza, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

The three-year, minimum-salary deal that Tucker signed with the Bucks at the end of last season was non-guaranteed entering the offseason, as was the two-year deal that Vildoza signed, so Milwaukee won’t face any financial penalties for releasing either player. Vildoza’s contract would have been partially guaranteed for $500K had he made it to the start of the 2022/23 regular season with the Bucks.

The 24-year-old Tucker went undrafted out of Little Rock in 2019 and spent most of the 2019/20 season with the Jazz, then signed a two-way contract with the Sixers in January 2021 and got a 10-day deal from the Nuggets in December 2021. Tucker was signed by the Bucks with a couple of days left in the ’21/22 regular season and played in two games, plus eight postseason appearances at the end of lopsided games.

Tucker has appeared in a total of 39 NBA games across three seasons, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG in just 7.7 minutes per contest. He has been much more active in the G League during that span, having played for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Wisconsin Herd, and the Delaware Blue Coats. In 27 regular season games this past season for the Herd (the Bucks’ NBAGL affiliate), the wing averaged an impressive 21.1 PPG on 53% shooting. He also chipped in 7.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

Vildoza, 26, played internationally in Spain for several seasons prior to reaching a buyout to sign with the Knicks in May 2021. His four-year deal with New York was non-guaranteed beyond the end of that season, and the team ended up waiving him before he underwent foot surgery last October.

The Argentinian guard is reportedly fully healthy and recovered from the surgery, but he has yet to make his regular season debut. He did, however, make seven very brief postseason appearances with the Bucks, his only official NBA action to date beyond Summer League.

After re-signing the majority of their own free agents and agreeing to a deal with Joe Ingles, the Bucks will tentatively have 14 players on their roster once first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp is signed to his rookie deal. The 15th spot could be reserved for restricted free agent Jordan Nwora, assuming the two sides can find a deal that works for both parties.

Spurs Claim Isaiah Roby Off Waivers

July 5th, 2022 at 4:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs have used a waiver claim to add Isaiah Roby to their roster, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein was the first to report (via Twitter) that there was a “strong expectation leaguewide” that Roby would be claimed on the waiver wire.

As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report previously noted, Roby earned more than the minimum salary in the first year of his four-year contract with the Thunder, so the Spurs will have to use some of their cap space to absorb his $1,930,681 salary for 2022/23. Waivers claims are rare for non-minimum players, but Roby has shown some promise, so San Antonio will be taking a relatively cheap flier on him contributing next season.

In his third season with the Thunder in ’21/22, the 6’8″ Roby averaged a career-best 10.1 PPG along with 4.8 RPG on .514/.444/.672 shooting in 45 games (21.1 MPG). Oklahoma City had previously picked up his club option, but then the Thunder waived him before his contract would have become fully guaranteed. Because his salary guarantee deadline was July 3, his $1.93MM will now be fully guaranteed.

The Spurs recently agreed to sign Gorgui Dieng and now added Roby, so clearly adding frontcourt depth was a priority with their final roster spots. Once all of San Antonio’s first-round picks are signed to their rookie deals (only Blake Wesley has been signed thus far, but the other two should be formalities), the Spurs will tentatively have a full 15-man roster.

Even accounting for the new additions, the Spurs still have well over $30MM in cap room this offseason, so they have plenty of options to work with going forward.